


Building Bridges (Straight To Your Heart)

by Half



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: AU, F/F, Oneshot, there's like carpentry and flannels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-07
Updated: 2017-11-07
Packaged: 2019-01-30 20:41:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12661044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Half/pseuds/Half
Summary: When Waverly Earp moves to a new town, she's determined to build the desk for her new office.It's too bad everything seems to be going wrong.





	Building Bridges (Straight To Your Heart)

When Waverly Earp sets the last mug into her kitchen cabinet, she’s finally finished moving in.

_Sort of._

She walks through her new home, scanning each room for anything out of place, not stopping until she gets to the room designated for her office.

A room that doesn’t have a desk.

Waverly skims her palm over her dog’s head and mumbles, “That’s gotta be fixed, Cardinal. Can’t work like this.”

Her dog looks up at her and pants happily.

“Yeah, I know,” she says with a grin. “We have to do some building of our own.” She pulls out her phone, scanning for the closest hardware store. With a low whistle, she mumbles, “Forty minutes away. Welcome to Maine, Waverly.”

She pets her dog again and heads for the door, grabbing the keys to her red 2011 Toyota Tacoma Double Cab. “Card, wanna go for a ride?”

She’s barely finished the sentence before he’s at the door, sitting at attention and staring at his leash. Waverly laughs and walks over, taking it down from the hook she hung only an hour earlier. “You’ve already got the procedure down, don’t you, pal?”

Waverly picks up the leash, sets the alarm, and opens the door. “Come on, buddy. Adventure awaits.”

 

+++++

 

“I kind of want something a bit… more,” Waverly murmurs, studying the selection of wood in front of her.

The man in the orange apron grins at her and gestures at a stack of yellowish 2x4s. “This is white birch, and I think it would be _excellent_ for your project, miss. It’s great for furniture, and it’ll stain well.”

Waverly stares at him. “Uhm. Are you serious?”

He just blinks at her. “I’m sorry?”

“That’s _yellow_ birch, and while, yes, it’s great for furniture, it’s not great for staining. It tends towards blotching.”

The man glances at the wood and narrows his eyes. “Well, how would _you_ know?”

Waverly raises an eyebrow. “Er… Well, I do make furniture and carve wood _for a living_.”

“Oh. Uhm. I’m sure we can find what you’re looking for, miss.”

She waves a hand at him, turning away. “That’s alright. I’m not seeing what I’m looking for here.”

As she gets back into her car, Waverly reaches over to the passenger seat and pats Cardinal on the head. “This might be a problem, buddy,” she mumbles.

 

+++++

 

She’s heading home a slightly different way than she had left when she spots what is either a mirage or her saving grace.

There’s a lumber store just on the outskirts of her new town.

The building has a name that makes her laugh– Fireproof Lumber –and the intricate wooden structure and carved window frames draw her in.

She parks her truck and gets out, and only then does she noticed the redheaded woman fiddling with the tie-down straps in the back of the black 2015 GMC Sierra 1500 that’s parked nearby.

While the woman is distracted, Waverly allows herself the moment to look her over. She’s wearing Wolverine steel-toe boots, rolled up khaki-colored jeans, a dark blue flannel shirt, and brown suspenders. There’s a work belt slung around her hips, hanging heavily as if it’s loaded. Despite the chilly autumn weather, her sleeves are rolled up, allowing Waverly to see tattoos on both arms- a compass and sky design wrapping around her left arm, and an assortment of evergreen trees on her right, with the black silhouette of a squirrel on the inside of her wrist.

She’s so busy staring that she doesn’t notice the woman look up.

“Hi there! Looking for something?”

“Huh?” Waverly blinks rapidly. “Oh. Yeah. I need some lumber.”

“Good place to be for that.” The redhead walks over to her and sticks out a hand. “Nicole Haught.”

“Waverly Earp.”

There’s a bark from inside the truck.

“… And that’s Cardinal.”

Nicole very softly taps on the window, grinning as Cardinal chases her fingers. “Red Heeler, right?”

“Mhm.”

“Well-behaved? Good with cats?”

“Definitely well-behaved, and he’s been good with the cats he’s interacted with. Why?”

“He can come inside with you,” Nicole says as she turns and heads towards the front door.

“Oh. Uhm. I don’t want the employees to-”

Nicole turns and leans against the door, smirking at her. “Ms. Earp, I own the place. Bring the dog.”

 

+++++

 

Waverly walks into the shop with Cardinal at her heels, and she’s immediately struck with the scent of fresh-cut wood.

“Sorry if that bothers you,” Nicole says, tucking her work gloves into her belt. “I was cutting out some dowels earlier.”

“You make them yourself?”

Nicole shrugs. “Yeah, anything in here that isn’t something very standard like a 2x4 or something more specialized like some of the bigger chunks of wood or the huge sheets gets cut out of pieces that I order special. It keeps the prices down, and the quality is more tightly controlled. Plus, it’s fun.”

“At least you’re honest,” Waverly laughs. “I’m looking to build a desk.”

“Nice project. Have much experience with that?”

“I’m a furniture builder and wood carver by trade.”

“ _Excellent_. That means you probably know what you’re looking for.” Nicole flushes. “Not that I mind helping people, of course, it’s just… y’know. Sometimes it’s hard to explain to people why they should pay a bit more for quality.”

Waverly studies her for a moment. “Question, if I were to tell you that I wanted to stain something made of birch, you would say…?”

“That painting is definitely better for birch.”

“Oh, thank god. You actually know what you’re talking about.”

Nicole grins at her broadly enough that there’s dimples in her cheeks, and Waverly is taken off guard by the shiver that runs down her spine. “I try to.” She leads Waverly towards the back of the store, pausing only to let a ginger cat sprint across their path. “Don’t mind her. That’s Calamity. She watches the shop and makes sure there’s no mice.”

Cardinal watches the cat with interest, but stays right at Waverly’s side.

“You’ve got a good dog there,” Nicole comments.

“I wouldn’t have lied to you,” Waverly replies.

“People have. Only a small handful, though. I have a lot of customers with really good dogs, which is the only reason I still allow them in.” Nicole dances her fingers in front of Cardinals nose, letting him snuffle against her palm. “No worries from this guy, though.”

“I tend not to worry, no.”

Nicole claps her hands in front of her. “Anyway. Do you have anything in mind of what you’re looking for?”

“Hm. I’m sort of deciding between mahogany and maple.”

“Not birch?” Nicole asks with a grin.

“Uh, no. I think it’s best if I just ignore that option for the time being.”

“Well, if I could make a suggestion?”

“By all means.”

Nicole leads her down one of the aisles and stops. “I would go with the maple. I just got a fresh batch of soft maple in. Fairly easy to work with, especially if you’re experienced. Stable, and way less expensive for you than mahogany.”

Waverly laughs. “Not going to try for the upsell, Ms. Haught?”

“Call me Nicole. And, no. I’d rather have customers who are happy and want to come back than customers who wasted all their money with me.”

“I like that.” Waverly folds her arms across her chest. “I know what pieces I need. Can you help me get them and load them into my truck?”

“Of course. You’re sold that quickly?”

Waverly runs her hand along a piece of the wood. “I know what I want when I see it.”

Nicole pulls out a small notebook and a pencil, and Waverly would swear she hears her mumble, “So do I.”

 

+++++

 

Nicole helps pull the last tie-down tight on the lumber in the back of Waverly’s truck, then takes a calculator out of her tool belt. “Okay. You get 20% off for being a first time customer.”

Waverly blinks. “Seriously?”

“Well, yeah.” Nicole winks at her. “Like I told you, I prefer to _keep_ business. Besides, Ms. Earp, I’m no fool. I remember what you said you do for a living.”

Waverly lets out a sharp laugh and holds out her credit card for Nicole to swipe through the device stuck into her iPhone. “That’s a hell of a way to play the game, Nicole. And you can call me Waverly, please.”

“Alright then, Waverly.” Nicole hands her card back, her eyes shining. “You have a wonderful day.”

“I will certainly try to.” Waverly watches as Nicole drops her gear back into her tool belt, straightens one of her suspenders, and heads back into the building. She gives a low whistle as she gets into the cab of her truck and scratches Cardinal’s ear. “I might come back just for the view.”

 

+++++

 

She’s unloading her truck when the block of wood meant for the legs of her desk falls and shatters on the concrete of her driveway.

“You have to be kidding me,” Waverly mumbles.

When she drives back to Nicole’s shop to get another one, Nicole raises an eyebrow. “Did you hurt yourself?”

“No. I just dropped it.”

“Do you want me to come by and help you unload it?”

Waverly’s stomach flips, to her unending irritation. “No, thank you. This is the last piece.”

Nicole helps her get it into the bed of her truck and grins. “Don’t drop it this time.”

 

+++++

 

On the second day of building, Waverly steps straight through the piece of wood meant for the main surface area of her desk.

“Goddammit,” she groans.

She drives back out to Fireproof Lumber, and, when she explains it to Nicole, gets a laugh in response.

“Maple’s not _that_ soft, y’know,” Nicole jokes as she leads Waverly back to the wood.

“I _know_. I have _no idea_ what’s going on.”

Nicole hands her the piece. “Good luck.”

“Thanks,” Waverly grumbles.

 

+++++

 

She’s working on one of the desk drawers when she makes her first mistake, accidentally cracking the wood in half while trying to use her orbital sander.

“What the fucking hell,” she grumbles, holding the two halves in her hands and staring at them.

With an irritated sigh, she chucks them across the garage and heads out to her truck.

 

+++++

 

“Out of curiosity,” Nicole teases, “you _know_ how to use a sander, right?”

“I’ll sand your _face_ , Haught,” Waverly retorts.

“Can you even _reach_ my face?”

Waverly flips her off, and Nicole laughs as she heads back to the maple section.

 

+++++

 

Waverly finally has her whole desk put together when she decides to test it, setting one of her history books in the center of it.

And it collapses into pieces on the floor.

She stares down at it, taking in a slow breath through her nose.

_“Card!”_ she yells. “We’re going on a car ride!”

 

+++++

 

She sees Nicole’s startled face as she screeches to a stop in front of the building. She barely has time to register how nice Nicole looks in the black pants, black suspenders, and purple flannel before she storms out of the cab and yanks the back hatch of her truck open. She gestures at the pieces of the desk and yells, “I give up! I surrender!”

Nicole raises an eyebrow. “What happened?”

“I build furniture for a living, and I can’t build a fucking desk!”

Nicole leans against the truck, studying the material for a long moment. “Okay. Why don’t you just take a minute to breathe, Waverly?”

Waverly takes in a short breath as she glares. “I’m. Still. _Mad._ ”

“You moved here, what, a week ago?”

“Yes,” she says through gritted teeth.

“How much time have you had to relax?”

The confusion shakes Waverly out of her frustration. “Huh?”

Nicole’s still looking at the wood when she asks, “Do you like hiking?”

“I guess. I haven’t gone very often, but I have the shoes for it.”

Nicole finally meets her gaze, and Waverly is calmed further by the soft look in her eyes. “Go home. Get your hiking shoes and some nice warm layered clothes. Leave Card there if he’s not a hiking kind of dog. Then come back here, and we’re going to go out for a few hours.”

“But-”

“Waverly,” Nicole says evenly. “Trust me?”

“I do,” she whispers.

“Then come on.”

 

+++++

 

They meet about half an hour later. Nicole hasn’t changed much, though she’s now wearing Merrell hiking shoes and a thick Carhartt vest, and her sleeves are rolled down.

“Ready to go?”

“Yeah, I guess so. Where are we going?”

“Acadia National Park isn’t far. There’s plenty of places to hike.”

They get into Nicole’s truck, and she drives them down the road in silence.

“I’m sorry,” Waverly murmurs.

“What for?”

“I feel like I keep taking my frustrations out on you, and you don’t deserve that.”

“Everybody needs an outlet.” Nicole shoots her a sideways grin. “I just usually prefer hiking or kayaking or rock climbing over, like, trashing a desk that I just built.”

“I didn’t…” She trails off, realizing Nicole is kidding. “You’re the worst.”

“Maybe.”

The lull of silent motion almost makes Waverly fall asleep, so she distracts herself by asking, “Why did you name your place Fireproof? Has anybody set wood on fire and then claimed false advertising?”

“The name’s a joke, because nobody with the last name ‘Haught’ can own a lumber store without embracing the irony. As for the other part… yeah. A guy came in a few years ago and said that he threw a piece of oak into his fire pit, and he didn’t understand why it had burned.” Nicole rolls her eyes. “I gave him a new piece, sent him on his way, and put signs up with a disclaimer that the wood in my shop is in fact still very real and very flammable.”

“People are stupid.”

“Mhm.”

Nicole pulls into a parking lot and turns off her truck. “We’re here.”

“Where’s here?”

She points at a small path, very visible through the trees. “There. Come on.”

 

+++++

 

They walk inside, and, somehow, Waverly immediately relaxes. She can’t even hear the soft sounds of cars driving past on the road nearby. All she can hear is the birds and squirrels in the trees, and the quiet skittering of other animals in the grass and brush just off the path.

“We won’t get lost, right?” she asks in a murmur.

Nicole pulls her sleeve up and shows off her compass tattoo. “Of course not.”

Waverly punches her in the shoulder.

 

+++++

 

“Sometimes I come out here just to see wood in its natural habitat,” Nicole says softly as they walk deeper into the forest. “It’s silly, I know. But there’s a strange sort of comfort in it. An appreciation, I guess.”

“It’s not silly,” Waverly replies, reaching out to take Nicole’s hand gently. “I think it’s really sweet.”

They fall into silence again, until Waverly whispers, “Nicole. Where are we going?”

Nicole grins but doesn’t look at her. “You’ll see.”

 

+++++

 

The path ends at the top of a hill, and Waverly’s breath catches in her throat.

They’re looking out at the mountains, rising high in the distance. Ahead of them, the sun is just starting to set, turning the sky orange and purple and pink.

“You’re living in one of the most beautiful places I can possibly think of, Waverly Earp,” Nicole whispers in her ear. “You just need to take a breath and _look_.”

“Thank you,” Waverly murmurs.

“Don’t thank me yet. I haven’t finished giving you free wood so that I can help you rebuild your desk.”

Waverly rounds on her. “You don’t need to do that.”

Nicole shrugs. “Maybe. But I _want_ to.”

Waverly swallows and looks back at the setting sun again. Then she turns and pulls Nicole down to her, kissing her on the lips.

It’s long and slow, and Waverly would be worried that she overstepped if it wasn’t for the way Nicole pulls her close and kisses her back.

When it’s over, and Nicole is taking a step back and fidgeting with the buttons on her sleeve, Waverly blushes.

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Nicole is flushed, too, and she stammers a bit as she asks, “What was that for?”

“I don’t know,” Waverly admits. “But I liked it.”

Nicole grins at her, the same dimpled one that had Waverly shivering the day they first met. “Good,” she says softly. “So did I.”

She holds out a hand, and Waverly takes it with a shy smile.

“Shall we go back and build a desk, Waverly Earp?”

Waverly laughs and elbows her in the side. “You’re going to be trouble, aren’t you?”

The look Nicole gives her vanquishes the chill of the autumn air.

“As much as you want me to be.”


End file.
